In recent years, more and more electronic apparatuses, such as digital cameras or printers, have been equipped with a wireless local area network (LAN) station function and used as communication apparatuses by connecting to a wireless LAN. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-35768 discusses a method in which a digital camera is equipped with a wireless LAN function to facilitate image sharing.
Further, a standard called Wi-Fi Direct (registered trademark) is established by Wi-Fi Alliance. In Wi-Fi Direct, a protocol for determining whether each electronic apparatus operates as either a wireless LAN access point or a wireless LAN station is defined. By implementing the protocol, which electronic apparatus is to operate as the wireless LAN access point and which electronic apparatus is to operate as the wireless LAN station can be automatically determined, so that user convenience is enhanced.
Further, in Wi-Fi Direct, a function of advertising and searching for service information supported by a higher-order application (service discovery function) is defined as an optional function. The service discovery function allows, before executing connection processing, an electronic apparatus to obtain the service information stored in an electronic apparatus to be connected thereto. Accordingly, user convenience is enhanced.
The user can execute wireless LAN connection processing and service connection processing as an operation sequence simply by selecting the service the user desires to use.
However, various kinds of services are provided via a network, and when a service will end cannot always be identified.